Artificial Sun
by Irish Rogue
Summary: This is the story of Alice, about how she became a vampire, how she met Jasper, and how she inevitably came to live with the Cullens. Read and Review :
1. Chapter 1

Artificial Sun

The first thought I actually remembered thinking when I woke up was 'ouch'. The second was 'where's the fire?' and the third was 'wow that was some dream." These aren't very comforting thoughts to remember after waking from what seemed to be a coma.

What I can tell you about my awakening to my new life was this – it was rough. I was laying in a haphazard position in what can only be assumed was the wreckage of an office building burned to the ground. My legs were bent in a curious way underneath my torso, while my hands were clasped in a praying position. That right there was strange, as I'd never been a religious person. At least, I don't think I'd been. At that moment, my memory seemed to be a bit fuzzy, like looking through a sheet of waxed paper.

'What happened to me?' I thought to myself after rearranging my limbs. I sat up, frighteningly quick I might add, and tried to adjust my eyes in order to see what had happened. Everything was so _clear_. Unlike my memory, what I was seeing at the time can only be compared to the best Hi-Def television ever made. I could see everything – every blade of grass, every pebble, and every ant walking along the sidewalk. 'Hold it! The grass is fifty feet away! How am I seeing all this? How is this possible!?' I was befuddled.

I stretched out my legs and took account of my body. Everything _seemed_ to be in working order, although the agony in my throat was never-ending, no matter how many times I tried to swallow back the fire. It was awful.

Suddenly, the burn in my throat was all I could concentrate on. I knew I had to do something, but what? I needed water. Yes, that would soothe the internal burn brewing inside me. I turned to the East, knowing, not exactly sure how, that there was a stream running parallel to the ruins I'd just crawled out of. I made my way over there; it was quicker that I thought, on three seconds. Somehow that didn't seem right, but either way, I made it. I put my head down to the stream and put my face directly into the running water. Drinking the water had all but made me sick: I felt like I was going to throw up, like my stomach was playing tricks on me. My muscles were frozen inside.

I felt like an animal that had been forced to live in a cage for months, then finally released on its own. I had no idea what to do with myself, with these strange feelings and my alien body. And God was I thirsty. I didn't even realize that the burn was 'thirst', but it sounded right in my head, so I went with it.

As I pondered what to do about my thirst, the metaphoric wheels in my brain started spinning. My eyes went unnaturally blank as a picture formed itself in my head. I only had a minute to understand what it was: a man, walking with his head down, newspaper under his arm, apparently on his way home from work. I saw in the background an angelic monster, petite and yet strong, whimsical, and amazingly self-assured that she would incapacitate her victim while he was unaware. 'Is that me?" I looked down at myself, and sure enough, it was me. A new scent rendered me paralyzed for a fraction of a second. I tried to determine what could possibly smell so delicious that my thirst burned more than I thought it possibly could.

I turned my head to the left and took off immediately. He was only a few hundred feet away, my prey. I didn't realize at first what was happening, I just let my body take over. He was getting closer, but his scent hung over my body like the stagnant smoke of a cigar… It clung to me. I stopped short as he came into view.

I'll spare you the details of my cat and mouse game. Let's just say that I took care of it, and was extremely proud of myself. I will tell you about the effects though. I drank his blood and was surprisingly relieved from the burning in my throat. It was an awful feeling, living with the guilt of taking a human life, but its kill or be killed, and somehow I'd make my amends for my actions if and when I could find a way to do so. But the thirst burned on, and soon I was out searching for another dose of relief.

My second vision came as a surprise. I really believed that the first one was just my new body instructing me on how to live, so when the second came, I nearly jumped out of my skin. My eyes took on that same cloudy blankness that occurred the first time, but instead of a scene coming into my head, it was the portrait of a man, and wow, was he handsome. His baby blonde locks fell across his blood red eyes, and I realized that he, too, was just like me. His skin was translucent, almost silver, and he was covered in half-moon scars. He looked as if he'd been used as a chew toy by one-too-many puppies.

I couldn't have explained to you then why his face came into my head, but my gut told me that we were meant to find each other. Just the picture of him filled me with absolute joy, like he was feeding me hope until I could find my own. 'Ok, so where the hell is he?' I had no idea who this man, this boy, whoever he was, let alone how to find him! No name, no background, no nothing. I was at a loss, relying helplessly on this surreal vision to come and point me in the right direction.

Waking up in Alabama was my first and only clue as to what happened to me. I had no recollection of my life before waking up in the burning field. Those memories that I seemed to be seeing through waxed paper had faded so much, I could only recall a few morsels of information. I knew my name, Mary Alice. I knew that I had been signed into a psychiatric facility, although enslaved would have been a more accurate term. After that, nothing. Before that, nothing. I felt like a shell of a person, of what I'd used to be. How could I not remember?

My thirst became my entire life. For months the only thing that mattered was quenching the everlasting burn that seemed to be my only pull to Earth. I spend months just trying to get used to my new body, and for the marginal time that I wasn't feeding, I was researching who and what I had become.

Apparently I had been bitten.

Bitten, not by an animal, but a person! A human! A sentient creature standing on two feet bit me!

I had been the intended lunch for a vampire, though they didn't get to finish me off, and I survived. I don't remember the attack at all, which given my sudden amnesia, doesn't surprise me in the least. Also, the field that I woke up in wasn't really a field at all. It was a garden behind the psychiatric hospital in which I was living. I don't know how I made it outside, because according to the 'borrowed' hospital notes I had, I wasn't to ever be released from my chains, let alone be somewhere without a guard's supervision. This leads me to believe that my attacker was someone who worked at the hospital. That or I was Super Girl before I was attacked. I'd love to believe the latter, but it isn't realistic.

Doing research about my history and new condition was quite difficult, but understanding who and what I had become made me realize that I could survive. Plus, the buzz coming from the beautiful stranger's face kept me going. I would find him.

I'm not going to bore you with the minute details of my everyday activities because

They're gruesome

Some are immoral, and

Most of them are illegal.

I wouldn't want to frighten you. However, there are a few important things that you should know. For example, I discovered that my skin sparkled in the sunlight, and excuse the pun, but that is a dead giveaway of my new status in the world. You really don't realize what a hindrance it is, trying to avoid the sunlight, until you actually have to do it.

I spent most of my days at the public library, trying to research Vampires. There were so many questions racing through my mind, and I just wanted some answers. Who was my attacker? Will I die if I get staked to the heart? I know they seem very childish and theatrical, but I don't want to die, or whatever it is that'll happen to me now.

At the library, the best book that I came across was called A-Z Vampires by Alexander Lucas Webber. He has, allegedly, a detailed history of Vampires from around the world, as well as a few secured interviews with acknowledged Vampires and Vampire Hunters. Unfortunately for them, their information seems to have a lot of holes in it. Let's just say their boat doesn't float, or whatever that stupid human catchphrase is.

I can attest to the fact that Vampires don't change into Bats, nor do we have to sleep upside-down. In fact, I don't need to sleep at all. How exciting is that!? The only drawback is that it gets a bit lonely in the dark, which reminds me: I've got to find my handsome stranger. I'd been seeing him more and more lately. Tiny little visions, some of him now, some cloudy like my old life, which I can only assume are from when he was human. His name is Jasper Hale. He used to serve in a military position, although I couldn't tell you where or what he did. I didn't recognize the uniform at all. He travelled with a woman of our kind, but he wasn't happy. That was very clear. He was miserable.

All I wanted was to make that man smile. His face carried such a pained expression that I felt the Earth might shatter all around me. My plan from this moment forward was to make him smile.

Finally!!!!!!

Finally, I knew where we would meet! He would be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 27th at 5pm. He would be walking into a diner, trying to avoid a rainstorm. I would be waiting.

The night we met, it was pouring. The rain came down in buckets. The people didn't even smell appetizing; they smelled like moldy animals. It was a god-awful stench. I said to myself that night that I would never eat in the rain. Looking back now, I laugh to myself out loud.

I knew that Jasper wouldn't arrive until 5pm, but I was so excited I could barely contain myself. Sitting at a counter on a stool was not what I wanted; I wanted to jump up and down and do a happy dance. I wouldn't, though, because I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to myself. So, I just sat there. I arrived at 4, just to be sure that I wouldn't miss him.

That hour was the most unbearable hour of my life. I counted the half-seconds that passed on the clock, and measured the breathing of each person in the diner. I didn't think I'd be able to make it until 5. As soon as the clock struck five, I heard the door chime and someone suck in a breath of air. I should have realized that it was Jasper, warding himself against the smell of so many humans in one place. I swiveled on my stool and turned to face him.

He looked at me with a sense of recognition, one fellow member of the secret society to another. All the joy and excitement must have radiated from me, because he cracked the tiniest of smiles. I tried to behave myself, but couldn't control it. "You've kept me waiting a long time," I said. He looked at me for a fraction of a second to judge my words before bowing his head like a proper southern gentleman and said "Sorry, Ma'am."

I grabbed his hand, slow enough that he'd see I wasn't a threat, and dragged him out into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

We ran, Jasper and I. We took off into the night, no destination ahead of us. We stayed local to the suburbs, not too keen on being exactly in the way of the humans, but close enough to get what we need, if the occasion presented itself.

We did not speak to each other. I recall that very clearly. I don't know whether it was because we were nervous, or because we didn't need to talk to understand one another, but for whatever the reason, we were comfortable in complete silence. I lead us to a park, on the outskirts of a small town in Missouri. Though I was completely ok with not speaking, I felt that we needed to get some things out in the open.

"Jasper…" I said.

"How do you know my name?" he asked me.

"I guess it's time to talk about what's going on." All of a sudden, I felt this wave of relaxation come over me. I don't know where it came from, but it was the strangest sensation I've ever felt, whether as a human or a super-human, as I was referring to myself in my head. "My name is… Alice." I paused while giving him my name, not necessarily sure how much I wanted to share with a complete stranger. "I feel like I need to explain myself and my actions." He looked at me as if I were a professor, speaking during lecture, watching me intently, mentally taking notes.

"Okay – I can be patient. Start at the beginning." He leaned back, apparently getting comfortable for the story. I began with my human life, the little of which I can remember. I progressed into my story, and while I was speaking, I also kept an eye on his demeanor. He never moved. He followed me with his eyes. I say he followed me, because I paced while I spoke, moving backwards and forwards. Speaking about personal things is not very easy for me, as I've been scrutinized by strangers in the past. I start wrapping up my story, ending with the vision I had of him. "I saw you. I saw you as clear as I'm seeing you now. I didn't know what it meant, but I felt hope during the image of you. I knew that I had to find you, and maybe you had some answers, or some guidance for me," I pleaded with him.

Jasper just looked at me… it seemed forever before he finally spoke out loud. I counted silently 237 seconds before he opened his mouth. "Well, ma'am, it seems you've been having a rough time." I just stared at him. I can't believe I didn't gape with my mouth open. I told him my whole story and all he could say was "you've had a rough time." ?!?! Get the hell out of here. I was starting to burn, not from my thirst, though that was making itself known, but from the frustration. I was about to speak when he stood up, put his arms out and said "you need to calm down, you're going to explode." He laughed a little, and then I was put at ease again.

"How are you doing that? What are you doing to me? I know I'm upset, but I feel like I'm floating." I was extremely confused.

"I should start at the beginning, myself. My name is Jasper…"

"… Hale! Yes I know, don't you remember me telling you this?" I was being such a brat. We both knew it. He acknowledged me with a nod and moved on.

"As I was saying, my name is Jasper Hale and I was a soldier in the Continental Army. I can only assume that I was wounded during a skirmish and left to die. The waxed paper thing, the effect you were talking about, I have that, too. I guess my human memories just couldn't survive my burn." He looked down, like he was just remembering a fallen comrade at arms. I felt like his world crashing and I needed to help him. As soon as I said that to myself, he glared at me, like he'd read my mind. I paused, waiting for the rest of his reaction. "Alice," he said, "how are your emotions so… pure?" I had no idea what he was talking about at that point, so I just shrugged my shoulders and waited from him to continue.

"Anyway, I remember these three women coming to me where I lay dying. They were beautiful, the most beautiful people I'd ever seen." A spark of jealousy erupted somewhere deep inside my chest and he looked at me, laughed a little, and gave me a wink. "I had no idea who they were, or what their deal was, but they had this grace about them that drew me to them like gravity. Maria, the leader, from what I could tell, looked at me like I was a piece of meat, turned to the other two, and told them that I'd be perfect. The other two left, but Maria stayed. She knelt next to me and whispered in my ear, words that were supposed to be calming, comforting, but they weren't. All of a sudden, I was burning. I felt like my entire body was burning from the inside out. I was surprised she couldn't feel the fire coming from me. I don't know whether or not I blacked out, because the pain was unbearable, but eventually I came to and was able to stand the internal pressure that was to be my new body. I didn't understand, but Maria, she stayed with me the entire time."

By now, I was starting to bare my teeth. His story was awful. I can only imagine what he must have been going through during this. I silo they were, or what their deal was, but they had this grace about them that drew me to them like gravity. Maria, the leader, from what I could tell, looked at me like I was a piece of meat, turned to the other two, and told them that I'd be perfect. The other two left, but Maria stayed. She knelt next to me and whispered in my ear, words that were supposed to be calming, comforting, but they weren't. All of a sudden, I was burning. I felt like my entire body was burning from the inside out. I was surprised she couldn't feel the fire coming from me. I don't know whether or not I blacked out, because the pain was unbearable, but eventually I came to and was able to stand the internal pressure that was to be my new body. I didn't understand, but Maria, she stayed with me the entire time."

By now, I was starting to bare my teeth. His story was awful. I can only imagine what he must have been going through during this. I silently thanked God, or whomever, that I could not remember my burn. I was torn: on one hand, thrilled that I hadn't had to suffer that much, and on the other, hurting that this poor boy, man, what have you, had been taken advantage of. I wanted to throttle Maria, the women, and whomever else hurt him, especially whoever had left him lying there waiting for death.

I think he could read my mind, because he seemed to acknowledge every thought I'd had with a smile, a look, or a nod, which is kind of creepy when you think about it.

He continued. "Don't worry, it wasn't all that bad. After my burn, Maria and the others started to teach me about what I'd become, and what I could do with my new life. I was in my glory. I was finally the soldier I was destined to be." He looked up at me with a childish look, one you might see on a kid who got to sit at his father's desk and pretend to be a big shot. He laughed to himself and continued. "Maria kept me around because of my latent abilities. She said she felt something from me, while I was still human. She told me that I had a great ability and it would come in handy in the future. She was right, unfortunately."

He looked at me and another wave of peace crashed over me. "Do you understand now, what my talent is?" He sent another peace-wave towards me. Then all of a sudden I felt terrible sadness. After that came immense hope. "Stop it!" I said. "I get it. You control people's moods?" I was furious, I think… after all I couldn't trust my emotions while he was around. "Yes," he said, "in a manner of speaking. I can sense what you're feeling, whatever emotion you happen to be accessing at the moment, and I can manipulate it to how I see fit." He gave a guilty grin and let me have my mind back. Surprisingly I could feel him whenever he started messing with me, and now that he was out, I felt a little bit of myself missing… not enough to want him messing with me all the time, but it was something worth acknowledging.

Just as I was about to set him straight about using his little talent to manipulate me, the breeze changed and we caught a whiff of something delicious. Well, someone. Jasper was up and running first, me not far behind, when all of a sudden I stopped dead in my tracks. (Don't you love my little puns… dead in my tracks… I amuse myself.) I was getting another vision.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey Readers -- Thanks for logging in to my story, and if you've made it to chapter three, you obviously like where the story is heading :) If you haven't noticed, this is my story of Alice and what happened before she met the Cullens. Please be kind and hit the review button down at the bottom and let me know what you think so far. Criticisms are welcome, too._

_PS *Disclaimer* All characters that you recognize are the creation of Stephenie Meyer, and all credit goes to her..._

**The Vision of Carlisle**

I just want everyone to know, my visions are subjective. They are slight glimpses of the future, as it is going to happen this very minute. As soon as someone changes their mind, the future changes and my visions become obsolete. Since I started getting them, they've never changed because I've been resolved to follow what my 'gift' has shown me. Now that Jasper was with me, my future has been unclear.

We've been together now for a few months, getting to know each other and ourselves. For example, he's been teaching me all he knows about who we are. Jasper and I were both created around the same time, though in different parts of the world. I don't know what divine forces brought us together, but I'm glad they did. We've really enjoyed each other's company. On my end, it's comforting to know that there are others like myself. The first few months of my existence were very lonely. Even better, one day I got some great news: there were more of us!! I got a vision about a family, several of our kind living together, but they were different. Their eyes were brown, not red. I didn't understand this difference between us, but I felt at peace with them already, even just through my vision. I've come to understand what I'm trying to be shown and how to interpret it correctly. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I don't get it exactly right, but no one's perfect, not even me.

Going back to why my future was unclear – I wasn't exactly sure what was going on with Jasper and me. Sometimes, we were two peas in a pod, laughing, having a great time, and being silly like little kids. Other times, he would shut down, inexplicably, and wander off. He never went too far, I think, because he liked my company, but just couldn't handle being in someone's sights for so long. He'd go off and hunt alone and leave me to my own devices, which I can't say I mind terribly much, because being with someone forever, with no breaks, can be awfully tiresome. Maybe he understood my position more than I originally thought. He's so attuned to my emotional range, it's almost impossible to get anything past him, even when I don't say it out loud.

I've never been in a relationship, not in my human life, and definitely not in this altered life. I haven't had anyone stay with me, even platonically, long enough to have anything. My parents got rid of me early, for reasons unknown. I didn't have very many friends before that, as far as I can remember. No one ever looked for me. No one cared about me after I was admitted to the facility. My death date is the same date as my admittance date. Jasper is the first person to stick by my side.

Personally I can't believe he's still with me. I was sure that he'd move on by now, as much experience as he has being a vampire, that he'd know how to get in, get out, and get going much more easily than I ever could. I asked him about this one day, and all he said to me was, "You're a refreshing atmosphere to possess, Alice." He's such a lunatic. God, I thought I had issues. I've been begging him to stop being so cryptic, but apparently it's in his nature to be a puzzle. What the hell does "You're a refreshing atmosphere to possess" even mean!?

I was thinking about this one day and he looked at me in confusion. "Alice, what's wrong?" He looked at me with concern, and I felt my defenses breaking down all around me. "I'm not sure." I looked down at my feet, still fumbling with my thoughts. Jasper, in one of his many moments of chivalry, came to sit next to me, but his arm around my shoulder and said, "I can tell something's wrong. Don't you want to talk about it?"

I mumbled to myself, knowing full well he could hear me, but not caring, and said "I'm not sure I want to talk to you about it. Ugh! I wish I had a sister, or a friend, or a girl of some kind!" All of a sudden, I got another vision. It was of that family, the one from my last vision!

It was dark… no, not dark, cloudy. It was raining. A man came out of the woods, rain flowing off of him in sheets, but he looked unfazed by it… He was on the hunt… but the scent, the scent was all wrong… it wasn't human he was hunting… I watched the man stalk slowly toward the direction of his prey… he turned a half quarter to the North… he stalked forward… he made no noise… not a sound… the rain kept pouring… All of a sudden he was on top of his prey… he was suckling from a…

"Oh. My. God!" I screamed. I jumped from my perch under Jasper's arm and started panicking. So many things started flowing through my consciousness: Should I go to them…. Is that even POSSIBLE?... Would Jasper come… What do I do if he doesn't?... Will they accept us… Can we live like that… I'm going to need weather appropriate clothing… Could I really be part of a family….

Jasper was apparently yelling for me to calm down, because he couldn't understand what I saw. He didn't know. I wish I could have shown him, shown him what I saw, and what our future could be. All of a sudden I got another vision, of my future, and it was good.

We were together, Jasper and I. I was ecstatic. I was glowing, which was tough for a vampire to do. Glitter, yes. Glow, not so much. We were pale and pasty white, we didn't glow. I was wearing a beautiful red dress, the color of fresh oxidized blood (my thirst was begging for attention), and Jasper was wearing a black suit. Looked like Hugo Boss. I must have given him some fashion advice… better yet, I probably just went and picked it out myself. That sounds like me. We were with the Cullen's, as I know could understand their part in everything. They were to be our new family! Jasper could handle it, I would love it, and they would welcome us after the initial surprise. The future was going to be great… I just had to prove to Jasper that we could do it.

"Jasper, do you trust me?"

"Alice, what the hell is going on?" He looked at me, begging for answers.

"Answer the question, Jazz," I said, using the nickname I gave him. "In your gut, in your mind, or whatever it is that helps you with your gift, does it tell you that you can trust me?"

"… Yes. Yes, Alice, I trust you. Can you please tell me what's going on?" His eyes, red and brilliant, stared at me with curiosity, confusion, and reluctance.

"OK, but remember that you already told me you trust me, which you really can, and you can't take back what you said, so just go with me on this one." I was starting to ramble, but who cares, I had the possibility of a real family! I felt a tightness in my chest, and pressure behind my eyes. I assume this is what it feels like to want to cry as a vampire. I hadn't felt the need to cry in almost a year and a half, since my creation.

"Speak, Alice… out loud please." Jasper started to chuckle, a nervous bit of laughter, still anxious to hear what I had to say.

"Jazz," I said again, affectionately, "I've seen our future. Please don't freak out." I paused, waiting for a signal to continue. I'm sure he was stealing his face against any reaction that he felt might upset me. He was a perfect gentleman.

When he was ready¸ I began again.

"We have a future. We have a plan. I've seen us. I don't know how long it is in the future, but it does happen. Usually, the future of one person is tricky, because they have to be decisive, so imagine trying to see for two… it's ridiculously difficult. Remember that family of our kind that I was telling you about a few weeks ago… well, they live in Washington, and they're a real family." I let those words sink in before I continued. "Do you see the possibilities!!?! We can have a family!" I think he was afraid of me at this point, because his shoulders hunched forward just a fraction of an inch, but I could tell that he was trying to stay away from my wild excitement.

"Alice," he said, softly, "What is it you're not telling me?"

(Can I just edit this for a minute and say, "Damn it Jasper! Why does he have to pick up on everything?!" ok—back to the story)

"Ok, so what I haven't said yet is that they live a bit of a different lifestyle than we do. That's all." I said, and started to move on quickly to a different subject. "Hold it, little monster," he said, "back up. How can they possibly have a different lifestyle than we do? They are vampires, correct?"

Side note - Can I just tell you how much I enjoyed being called "little monster" – I loved it. As of yet, nothing was going on between Jasper and I, but it gave me hope that he was coming around to me and my ways, and was starting to get attached to me.

"Well of course they are! Haven't you been listening to me?! They've just found a new way to live, instead of biting humans…. They drink the blood of…" I mumbled it… know that he'd ask me to repeat myself, which he did. "They hunt animals. They live off the blood of animals. The man, Carlisle, looks like the leader of the coven, and he is firmly against human blood."

"Are you kidding me, Alice?!" Jasper looked thoroughly exasperated. I was afraid he was going to bolt then and there.

I looked at him with as much hope and pleading as I could stand and said "Jasper, this is our future. We're going to be there eventually, together, so there really isn't any use fighting it. Please, let's go be part of a family. I can see everything's going to work out, there's nothing to be afraid of." I begged him. I think it was cheating, because I knew he couldn't stand that I was so hopeful… he could feel it pouring off of me, and it was a cheap shot.

He sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to live on animal blood… Yuck." The very millisecond he said that, I was jumping into his arms! "Jasper! Thank you!"

He laughed a little, but then turned somber once again. "I'll try, Alice…. For you, I'll try. But I won't make any promises."

I kissed his cheek, the most I've ever had the guts to do, and said that trying was all I could ask for. "I just want to be a part of something. You had people… but Jasper, you're the first person that's ever stuck with me. I like it, and I want more."


End file.
